Tossed Up Like A Bird To Flight

This year I had the delightful experience of being tossed up like a bird to flight, so easily drawn up and righted on my feet by a passing man, as if I had been no more difficult to handle than a fallen bird.

I had reached down for something in the store, on a shelf almost at floor level when I slowly toppled into old, silly, weak myself. I tried with increasing embarrassment but I could not twist upright as I usually do, I could not push myself up. Nothing to do but to ask someone strong for help. I looked around to see a tall, lanky, ropy-muscled man coming down the aisle so I hailed him with my best stranger smile, "Can you please help me up?". He was heavily tattooed, moving so fast that I wondered if he would even hear and stop for me. Not only did he immediately stop, pivoting easily and coming directly to me, he turned a broad, welcoming smile on me that completely ignored my silly position of being a dumpling folded onto the floor. He said, "Of course I will help you." He looked over my plight, measured out the task with sharp, young eyes, then carefully took my old, frail hand in his, paused to gauge a safe direction to send me, and with a long, smooth, delightful pull he righted me on my feet. "Thank you, thank you so much." I said. And he was gone, but not before looking back once to check that I had stayed on my feet.

It was so lovely to feel, even for that moment, the strength of a man at a task that required strength and care, helping me.

Tossed Up Like A Bird To Flight

by Annmarie Throckmorton 2022